Muppet Pinball Mayhem
Score: 85% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: NewKidCo Developer: Digital Eclipse Media: Cart/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: For me, Muppet Pinball Mayhem felt like the merging of Spam and chocolate. For as long as I can remember, I have always been a Muppets fan. Whether learning on Sesame Street or listening to jokes my 6-year-old mind couldn't understand on the Muppet Show, the Muppets have always been around - making the prospect of a Muppet's game very appealing. However, the 'Spam' of the situation is that the game is a pinball game - one of my least favorite quarter munchers. The Muppets have always been about presentation and it carries over into the pinball game. All of the game's menus are very cleverly done and one of the high points of the game. Overall the game looks nice and plays well with the Muppet's theme. The only real problem I found with MPM was the scrolling - especially when multi-balls come up. When this happens the game tries to show as much of the table as it can, but the pulled back view makes it hard to see the top. It is always great to hear the old Muppet Show theme, but even this does not help the game's overall sound. First, the game's audio is rather low and unless the volume is turned all the way up, or you have a set of speakers attached to the system, it's hard to hear most of the sound. The sound samples of Muppet's voices are also muddy, but we are dealing with a cartridge so it's understandable.
Gameplay: By now, I'm sure we are all familiar with the concept of pinball. Shoot the silver ball onto the table, and use the flippers (and a little bit of luck) to guide it around bumpers and gain points. As expected, Muppet Pinball Mayhem does an excellent job of recreating the pinball experience (well, if you can call it an experience), however it leans more toward an arcade-like style than a true simulation. This is due largely in part to the game's ball physics. Regardless of how much nudge you give the ball, whether from tilt by a flipper, the ball shoots across the table as if it's caught in Darth Vader's force grip. This is a minor problem at best and likely only to be noticed by hardcore pinball junkies. MPM contains two modes, Adventure and Competition. Adventure mode allows you to play through one of four different Muppet-themed tables. After scoring a set number of points, the scoreboard will tell you to shoot the ball to a certain area to advance to the next board. Competition offers the chance to play any of the four levels from the start against up to four players.
Difficulty: As far as pinball goes, Muppet Pinball Mayhem's tables are easy - meaning you can play with a single ball for a long time. Outlanes are rarely a problem and the game is overly generous with 'Ball Saves'. However, given how fast most pinball games are over, the ease of play is welcome. Racking up enough points and getting the ball to the 'Exit' is still enough of a challenge to keep you coming back for more.
Game Mechanics: Without even picking up the game, it should be obvious how the controls for Muppet Pinball Mayhem are laid out - but for those of use who are a bit slow, I'll lay it out for you nice and slow. As with real pinball, the only buttons you have to worry about are the right and left flippers. The GBA is practically made to play the game thanks to the R and L buttons, and it doesn't do that shabby of a job either. For those wanting even more control, pressing right and left on the d-pad allows you to tilt the table slightly for those times when the ball is just close enough to a hole. Be careful though, since too much tilt can result in an automatic loss of your ball. Good rule of thumb - DON'T ROCK THE TABLE! Overall, MPM is a good representation of pinball and should please both Muppet and pinball junkies. Casual gamers or people who just do not like pinball (such as myself) will still find the game enjoyable, but will tire of it quickly.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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